Can wild birds eat Hemp seeds

Hemp seeds are not your regular seed found in seed mixes, but they can be. Try hemp seeds if you like with no issues at all, but its best if they're only offered out of their shell.

Birds can eat Hemp seeds despite it coming out of a drug plant; seeds alone are super safe for adults or children so can be fed to wild birds in your yard. Shelled seeds will be tan/brown in color but restricted to fewer birds; whereas the white translucent de-hulled Hemp seed will be made available to all seed-eating birds.

Its one thing to experiment with a new kind of food, particularly if that food is kitchen scraps or unwanted people food.

Whereas a new seed to feed to our common backyard birds can't make you feel as guilty, because its super healthy, plus something our wild birds would normally forage for in the wild.

Hemp seeds are not native to North America, and if they would the farmers growing it would be in a whole lot of trouble. Hemp seed originates out of cannabis plants, only the seed itself isn't part of the drug you come to know by name.

Its therefore safe to say hemp seeds can be fed to birds and is perfectly safe to eat.

You have two options how you will feed this seed to your wild birds; you can offer it in its shell which will restrict the number of birds who can open up the shell to eat, or... you can buy hemp seed de-hulled to feed it to most seed-eating birds.

Hemp seed is brown in color but when its bought or cracked out of its shell, it will appear white translucent.

Do go slowly when feeding birds this new kind of bird seed, as its has the potential to waste if birds avoid it to eat their regular Sunflower or Nyjer seeds.

Birds Safe to eat Hemp seeds

If you didn't know already hemp seed is the same seed found in cannabis plants, although the seed themselves don't contained the active ingredients associated with cannabis

Despite all that, its safe to say wild bird can eat hemp seeds if bought at a reliable supplier or department store.

Hemp seed isn't a traditional seed found in wild bird seed mixes, nor is it fed to birds on itself - with hemp seed rarely fed to birds but it safely can.

I still do believe this seed can be found in some seed mixes, and with its shell on it will appear as a light tan/brown color, whilst hulled hemp seeds will appear as a translucent white.

Super good source of vitamins which also applies to any seed-eating birds who will consume your helping of hemp seed.

Fed to seed or nut-eating birds

Birds who frequent our backyards to eat on bird feeders or on the ground tend to be seed-eating birds already, thus there's no shortage of birds willing to eat your hemp seeds.

With its nutty-like taste and texture the hemp seed can be an exciting prospect to birds.

I wouldn't recommend putting hemp seeds in a bird feeder - although its an option to only put in no more than an inch of hemp seed - in a corresponding seed bird feeder to keep it dry, and if you can be sure it will be eaten.

Personally speaking, I would put this very new hemp seed on the ground where its frequently occupied by wild birds; or indeed put the seeds on a higher surface just to avoid direct contact with the ground.

I can't say for sure if hemp seed can last in an outdoor environment like Nyjer or sunflower seeds do, thus its important to keep an eye on it daily for signs of it going bad along with a potential rancid smell.

Not the best bird seed you can feed to birds as they come to stick to their favorites, so hemp seed would be better off being put in a cheaper seed mix only.

Shelled OR left hulled

As with all popular seed mixes you can buy for wild birds, hemp seeds are no different in that they can be bought shelled or hulled.

Shelled hemp seeds to give to your birds can only result in husks being thrown over the ground, if indeed birds do feed on your new hemp seed option. Brown or tan in color, hemp shells can be split open by Finches to Blue Jays.

With hemp seeds out of their shell, this de-hulled seed can be eaten by a larger range of bird species, thus its recommended to only use hulled hemp seeds.

First because all seed-eating birds can try them without struggling to break it open, and so to does it prevent a mess of husks building up in your yard.

Utilize shelled hemp seeds if you have to but its better to split each and every shell open if birds are going to eat them in a timely manner.

Do go out and buy de-hulled hemp seeds with its white translucent appearance if you can, as it will save you and your birds a lot of time and effort.

Vitamin-rich seed to feed birds

Despite this seed being grown on cannabis plants, the seed is perfectly safe to eat by people and kids, with no risk of illness or a negative reaction.

Hemp seeds are just as safe as Sunflower or Nyjer seeds with all the nutritional value that comes with it.

Hemp seeds are rich in vitamins thus can provide your seed-eating birds much needed energy to get through a day of foraging.

I would provide hemp seeds to your birds all year round but in winter especially, as birds can lose important nutrients or vital food groups become scarce due to severe changing weather conditions.

With vitamins you can also find a small trace of fiber your birds can benefit with.

Healthy as they are, remember you are on a time restraint when feeding backyard birds this rare seed choice, so its important to feed birds a bit at a time to avoid waste with the seed potentially rotting early on.

Conclusion

Birds can eat hemp seed and despite it grown out of an actual cannabis plant, the seed itself doesn't contain the ingredients found in the drug.

Hemp seeds are perfectly safe to offer to wild birds in your yard and therefore can be a lot of fun to experiment with, on a brand new, probably never seen before seed by your local backyard birds.

Birds likely to eat your hemp seeds would of course be any seed-eating birds, with Jays, Finches, Chickadees and Cardinals especially.

White translucent hemp seeds signifies they're in fact de-hulled seeds which mean they are out of their shell - which is just as well because they are now available to a wider range of birds in your yard.

Light tan to brown in color hemp seeds are in their shell which means they're restricted to fewer bird species who break open seed shells - like Blue Jays and Finches.

Hemp seed is rich in vitamins so is an important seed to provide for your wild birds.

I would offer only a small amount of hemp seeds to birds at a time; first to avoid waste, whilst at the same time you can understand how much or little birds of eat this new seed on a daily basis.

Not all birds can use a feeder because their feeding behavior is incompatible, or their simply too large; thus its important to put some hemp seeds in a seed feeder only - with an option to throw hemp seeds on the ground.

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